Modeling School Competitions

Comparing my model development and subsequent marketing plan with that of a modeling school as well as the cost to benefit ratios.

Many modeling school agencies have associations where they have competitions in New York City or Atlanta that are attended by scouts from the big agencies. That can cost you around $6,000.00 to compete. That is after paying for classes and your trip to New York. All this time and money spent with no guarantee of any realistic paid work. I have heard schooled models proudly say they finished 4th or 5th in a New York competition but they are spending money and not making it. The majority of these girls return home and are still unemployed as models.

For less than a fifth of this amount I can get you marketed to most of the major agencies as well as regional employers with a big city presentation and much better odds of working. I say much better odds because you are exposed to a far greater number of employers at an exceedingly lower cost with a strikingly higher quality marketing presentation.

However, I must tell you if you want to do television commercials in the big cities like New York, Chicago or Hollywood you will be required to be with a Sag/Aftra etc. agency and be in a union. Sag and Aftra are the two biggest unions. The models that work the most in a small market like Kentucky, Ohio or Tennessee go without an exclusive agent or union. That is not to say do not take a job that a non-union agent offers, by all means go for it, but not at the expense of signing a restricting contract without continuing monetary consideration.

In my opinion, these representation contracts with modeling schools and "wanna be" agencies are not worth the paper they are printed on. They lack specific guarantees of monetary consideration or a guaranteed monthly income. Now if you want to have bragging rights about how you signed with an agent in a small town and sit on the bench while my model clients get the jobs, by all means go for it. If you go with a modeling school, good luck "Girlfriend/Guyfriend, cuz you're gonna need it".

Now the above statement is not to say someone that went to a modeling school will not get work or hit the big time in spite of the fact they went to a modeling school. It has been my experience of many years in the large and small markets, my way has been the least expensive, most efficient, and by far the most effective!

I will say, a modeling school can teach you to walk runway but there is hardly any runway work in a small market, which pays. That’s not to mention you should be tall.